Monday, March 3, 2014

Q: How healthy is Christian fiction?

A: With too few categories and some Christian publishers "contracting" - it seems to be in decline.
My own novels are somewhat "tweeners" between general market and Christian fiction so this is a question I have a lot of personal interest in.  Publishing professional and friend, Dan Balow, recently tackled this head on in his blog for the Steve Laube Agency. He has some counterintuitive insights that I thought handled this topic much better than I could - and he goes a step further than I usually do by offering some sound advice to publishers and retailers. Dan - thanks for permission to use the following!

Is Christian Fiction Dying?

Last year, two Christian publishers downsized or suspended their fiction programs. Currently, some Christian publishers are nervous about fiction and in a wait-and-see mode before they attempt to expand it or try new things. Others are excited about growth potential in the category and are taking an aggressive stance toward it. 

Similarly, some Christian retailers are doing quite well with fiction, others are lukewarm with it and some are not doing well at all.

The answer to the title question, "Is Christian fiction dying?" is no, but it is certainly interesting to explore the reason behind such widely diverse opinions on the subject of Christian fiction today.  How can one group see great potential and another see little or none?
  
Here is why I think Christian Fiction is causing some publisher and retailer confusion right now:

First and foremost, fiction is the segment of book publishing and retailing most affected by the sales of eBooks. In some cases, 50% or more of unit sales on a particular title can be digital.  Because eBooks are cheaper than printed editions, overall revenues to the publisher will decrease or remain flat, all the while readership increases. For a particular novel, digital sales might be 50% of the units and 20% of the revenue. 

A new business model eventually emerges, but it takes time for publishers and retailers to adjust to new realities.

Retailers can easily recall how the decline in physical product sales were affected by music downloads (iTunes started in 2001), video download/streaming and audio book downloads. The migration to digital delivery in music, video and audio resulted in a corresponding drop in physical product sales at retail.  But knowing the cause doesn’t make it easier to handle.

The second major contributor to publisher and retail confusion about fiction is the relatively small number of titles published.  Even in good years, the total output of new Christian fictions titles by the main ECPA Christian publishers are not more than 250-300 annually.  (I am not counting the various Harlequin Love Inspired and Heartsong mass market lines which publish over 200 titles per year.)

According to R.R. Bowker data from a couple years ago, the entire U.S. publishing industry (not self-publishing) released over 250,000 new titles annually, of which about 40,000 are novels. There is not completely accurate data available on Christian publishers, but not long ago the total output of books from Christian publishers was around 10,000 new books annually. If Christian publishers followed the same ratios in fiction as the general market, there should be over 1,000 new novels each year, not 250-300.  Not every category growth problem is solved by doing more books, but in this case, I believe it has something to do with it.

Similarly at retail, when a category suffers a slowdown, reducing shelf-space for the category only hastens the decline.  The huge disparity between fiction in the general market retail and that in the Christian market would leave one to wonder whether some are giving up too early on it.

The final reason for confusion about fiction is there are a limited number of genres published by Christian publishers. For reasons that may or may not be obvious, Christian publishers cannot publish in as many genres as a general market publisher.  For instance, erotica will never be a category in Christian publishing, while it is a major category in the general market.

Combine these three things…eroding physical sales due to digital delivery, a small number of titles in relatively few categories  and maybe we can understand why it is rather confusing time in the Christian fiction category.

What can retailers do about it? (other than stocking current best-sellers and new titles)

  • ·      Begin with the inventory. Carry the classic backlist.  Not just In His Steps or Pilgrim’s Progress but the authors who made the category successful over the last 30 years…Janette Oke, Frank Peretti, Jerry Jenkins/Tim LaHaye, Bodie and Brock Thoene and Francine Rivers to name a few. 
  • ·      Decide to add a new genre of fiction that heretofore you have not carried or promoted.  This is to grow your customer’s taste for a wider type of fiction.
  • ·      Consider rearranging the fiction section by genre to help readers find new authors. Perhaps using a variation of the umbrella categories that the Christy Awards uses to separate the genres.
  • ·      Encourage fiction reader groups among your customers. This will show how fiction can communicate spiritual truth in an effective manner.


Steve Laube, the founder and owner of the literary agency with whom I work, was a Christian retailer himself before getting into the publisher side of the equation over 20 years ago.  In 1989, his Berean Store in Phoenix, Arizona was named the CBA Store of the Year.  I asked him to give his perspective on how retailers can sell more fiction:

“The key was that great story that got people telling their friends. Word-of-Mouth.  Second was a staff that was knowledgeable about the various fiction offerings. Hand-selling is still a critical piece of what makes the physical store a destination. Hand-selling is a form of word-of-mouth. For example, when Mrs. Sally came in the store each month and asked us, ‘What's new?’ we could direct her to the latest and greatest because we knew the type of stories she liked and the type of stories that were on our shelves.  That principle has not changed over the years. I am always attracted to the part of any bookstore that has a ‘Staff Recommendations’ section. I find it fascinating to see what other people think is worthwhile to read.”

Keep in mind, that if readers don’t find what they need in the Christian store, they will look elsewhere and personally, I’d rather they find a lot of great reads among titles from Christian publishers in Christian bookstores.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

How much money does an author make?

Q: How much money does a self-published author make? How about a traditionally published author?
A: Most don't make a lot.
Here is a quick snapshot of how much money authors make. The graphic is provided by Dr. Dana Beth Weinberg who is analyzing the responses of five thousand authors to the Digital Book World and Writer's Digest Author Survey. To read her comments click here.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Working With An Editor

Q: How do I best work with an editor?


Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Q: How many people read books on eReaders?

A: According the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 23% of adult readers have read an ebook.

In a blog last year I noted that the percentage as 12%. That's a growth rate of almost 100%. During the same period, ebook sales have risen from 17% to 25%. Half of all fiction is now being bought for consumption on eReaders.

I remember the prophecies of the paperless office back in the early 90s. I'm still waiting. But to state the obvious, the digital revolution in publishing appears to be a relentless transformation in how we consume what we read.

Monday, January 7, 2013

2012 Best Selling Books

Q:  What are the bestselling books of 2012?

A:  Not all books get counted on bestseller lists, but it's still good to have the last name James or Collins in 2012!

bestselling books of 2012

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Q: Would you purchase the Kindle or the i-Pad?

A: I picked the Kindle. Here's why.

I have been in the publishing industry for almost 30 years now. Everyone knows that electronic production and delivery will shape the future of the book publishing industry - and most suspect that the future is now. So that's the main reason I finally bought an ebook reader - to be less technologically behind in the work that provides room and board for the family. If you're going to consider yourself an active member of the "long form" publishing world, better at least be aware of the mechanics - or electronics - of the digital book experience, I figured.

The final nudge I needed to order the Kindle was an impending trip to China last month. Anticipating 18 hours in the air each way, I wanted to make sure I had plenty to read without packing a stowage trunk. Sure enough, the Kindle worked like a charm on that trip. I downloaded four or five books at New York's JFK Airport, boarded the plane, ate dinner, watched a movie, and then fired up a book I've been wanting to read. I was sleeping like a baby in fifteen minutes. It felt like home! (And yes, I did finish the book and two others while flying over the Pacific Ocean.)

After I told an author friend why I bought the Kindle, they let me know they were more interested in why it took me so long.  Good question. Frankly, I've not been sold on buying an ebook reader in general, and the Kindle in particular, until now. I do like the feel of paper and ink bound inside a paper or board cover - but that's not what really held me back.

We all know that technological improvements take place so fast that version 2.0 of the newest gadget follows 1.0 by weeks, not months or years. I'm not a late adopter of new technology, but on the other hand, I don't want to be the one purchasing 1.0 at twice the price of 2.0, which will undoubtedly have more features and less problems.

So I waited for multiple powerhouse companies to launch new readers and for three million of my good friends to buy the first two iterations of the Kindle before I jumped in on the third wave.

But then came the next question from my author friend: why the Kindle over the iPad? It is hard to beat Apple for sleek and cool and seamless usability. And the iPad was all over the news and just about to sell its one millionth unit within months of its release when I bought the Kindle.

So here are my reasons for buying the Kindle over the iPad. (Perhaps I'll take up the question of why I chose it over the Sony Reader and Barnes & Noble Nook at a later time.)

1. I read books and there are approximately seven times more books available through Amazon's Kindle Store than are available for the iPad. The gap will close but is still significant.

2.  The i-Pad costs three to four times more than the Kindle. I'm not saying the i-Pad isn't worth it. It looks to me like the iPad is the future of laptop computing and style. Apple and others will come up with a next generation device that is a cross between the laptop and the iPad, which will replace what I use now. But I don't need all the extra computing and bells and whistles that come with it. I've already got a MacBookPro. I just need a book reader. It isn't lost on me that most people I see with the iPad on airplanes aren't reading books, though to be fair, it looks like the magazine reading experience is much better than it would be with the Kindle. But the iPad users I see are more often watching a movie or playing a game, not reading a book. And as a confession, I get distracted easily enough in life. When I want to read a book, less is absolutely more.

3. The electronic type on the Kindle has now reached the same level of readability (and lack of eye strain) as the paper and ink book. When I took the Kindle out of the box I assumed there was a protective plastic film with a picture of a tree covering my screen. The saturation level of electronic ink was so rich and brilliant that I was surprised to discover it was the actual screen. (I'm glad I didn't give in to my impulse to grab a sharp object to lift an end of the "film" so I could remove it from the screen.)

4. The size of the Kindle is just about perfect for carrying in a briefcase or purse - though I wouldn't know firsthand on the purse - and the iPad is just a little too large as an "extra" device. As mentioned above, I don't think the Kindle can compete with the iPad on reading larger visual publications (and certainly not playing games or watching movies). And it's not just due to the smaller size. The Kindle is strictly black on white. So if I was in a different area of publishing - like fashion media or nature photography - I would undoubtedly purchase the iPad.

5.  I also picked the Kindle because I can now use it to carry and read my own documents. This is not really a reason I picked it over the iPad because that is not and never has been a limitation for the Apple device. Let's just say that Amazon fixed something that they got wrong in earlier editions of the Kindle. Because it is a proprietary device tied to the Amazon Store, it used to be if you wanted to read a non-commercial-book document on the Kindle, you had to figure out how to upload it to the store and buy it from yourself there. I know one of the Big Five publishers bought all their employees the Sony Reader for this very reason - there were no limits on putting your own material on your reading device. The publisher wanted associates to experience an ebook reader and distribute company material on it. That was too tough - and expensive - on the Kindle. Maybe a better of way of making this point is to say that Amazon removed a reason I had previously been resistent to buying their Kindle. I'm going to fly to Orlando later today. I want to review a manuscript I prepared for the meeting. Now all I do is convert it to a pdf and email it to my Kindle email address that they assigned to me when I bought the device. The document will be waiting for me on my Kindle in about a minute.

Those were my reasons for buying a Kindle. They may not work for you.

So who should buy the Kindle? Simple. Book readers. I don't think it's going to a good purchase for people who want to read books instead of playing games but need a little extra motivation. But the iPad is obviously - and for more reasons based on around multi-use distractions - not going to do that either.

The early book publishing industry statistics say that book readers buy and read more books once they have an ereader. Why? There are no space-time limitations of having to drive to a brick and mortar establishment during open hours to pick up something that is on your mind right now. Just read a good review on your flight magazine? You can purchase the book in about 30 seconds once you land at O'Hare or Hartsfield, even if your connection is tight. (It should be noted that buying a book on a Kindle is not as pleasant as sipping a cup of coffee while strolling through rows of bookshelves at a bookstore - and will never replace that.)

As a final comment, Amazon offers a lot of public domain books for free at the Kindle Store. I was about to board a plane last week when suddenly a story from my childhood popped into my mind: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. I looked it up and found a free edition, which I immediately "bought." It was waiting for me when I took my seat. I read the opening chapters and was flooded with a sense of nostalgia - right after I woke up from my nap. Just like being at home!